Northeast US helicopter tour operator Charm Aviation has joined forces with Electra to introduce sustainable eSTOL aircraft to the heliports and vertiports of Manhattan. Electra's eSTOL aircraft can operate in the available space, requiring no charging infrastructure and providing a quieter, more cost-effective solution per seat mile than traditional helicopters and eVTOLs.

"With Electra's eSTOL aircraft, Charm Aviation will offer travellers a much greater choice of travel destinations while ensuring that we're a good neighbour to our surrounding community with clean, safe flight operations," says president Cait Ephraim.

"Electra's aircraft has the range to transform New York City's heliports from urban flight terminals into regional transport hubs, with direct flights to cities and smaller communities along the East Coast," says Electra chief product officer Marc Ausman.

Electra is developing a hybrid eSTOL aircraft that will enable rapid, safe and affordable transportation of both passengers and cargo within urban and regional networks. The ability to take off and land in spaces as small as a soccer field, coupled with a cruising speed of 175 knots and in-flight battery recharging, enables flight operations from places previously inaccessible by flight including converted parking lots, barges and very short landing strips. Initially designed to accommodate up to nine passengers or 2,500 pounds of cargo, the piloted fixed-wing aircraft will cover distances of up to 500 miles in all weather conditions.